Invitation Bookshop is opening next month in Gig Harbor, Wash. Noting that there are already two used bookstores in Gig Harbor, owner Allyson Howard reported that the 1,230-square-foot store will focus on new books, as well as puzzles, games, stationery and other book-related sidelines.
Howard plans to keep her inventory flexible in the store's first few months and respond to the interests and needs of her community. At the same time, she is working to curate an inclusive collection of books with the goal of "elevating voices that are either underrepresented in our community or have been historically marginalized."
With so many limitations on group gatherings in place, Howard said, her event plans will be limited for now. The bright side, though, is that she'll have some breathing room when it comes to learning how to host events. She looks forward to having children in the store for storytime sessions and hopes to feature local authors from the greater Puget Sound region. There are also plenty of "fantastic small businesses" in Gig Harbor, she added, and she's already talked to a few about potential partnerships.
Howard said she committed to her lease just before Washington State shut down retail businesses. The last several months have not been anything like what she had planned, but the one consolation has been that they are not alone in this. She added: "We're perfectly content being that scrappy small business that opened in spite of a global crisis."
Prior to starting Invitation Bookshop, Howard spent 19 years in education. She explained that despite working for a few years in academic publishing and freelancing for a literary agent for a brief stint, it was her time as an educator that honed her belief in the "social purpose of bookselling." She's tried to reflect that with her bookstore's name and its tagline: "Every book is an invitation."
"Writing and reading are open-hearted acts, and the page is where the experiences and ideas of two people meet to converse," Howard said. "It's a little act of wonder and magic. That was my favorite part of teaching, and I feel grateful that I get to continue that in my own bookstore."